My Gear

I’ve gotten a reputation as a “photography gear guy”, and many people write me on pretty much a daily basis to ask me questions about gear. This page will be an updated log of what I’ve currently got in my kit…and why. For your convenience I am also embedding buying links so that you can go out and do further research for yourself. In some cases I have reviewed the gear that’s in my kit, and I’ll also embed links to those reviews where they exist.

My buying philosophy is that I look for the best “bang for my buck”. I want high quality gear, but I don’t have a “cost is no object” kind of budget. Sometimes that means making compromises. But I have learned both as a photographer and a reviewer that most expensive doesn’t always = best.

If you want to watch a series of videos where I detail what is in my personal kit and why, take a look here.

Camera Bodies:

In the video below I detail what camera bodies I have right now and why I own them:

When I want to go light, I carry the Voigtländer Color-Skopar 20mm f/3.5 pancake prime lens. It isn’t as sharp as the big Tamron, but has great color rendition and is extremely portable.

Another great choice in the category for Canon users is the new EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM. It improves on nearly all of the shortcomings of earlier Canon wide angle zooms. It is not cheap, but it is reasonably priced for its performance. You can read my review here:

Finally, I own and use the astoundingly good Rokinon 12mm f/2 NCS wide angle prime for my a6500. This little lens rivals the optics of the full frame equivalents in a beautifully made, nicely compact package. It can use traditional filters and produces amazing images. I reviewed it here. I also own the Sigma 19mm DN f/2.8 ART lens for Sony mirrorless that provides a moderately wide angle of view and produces nice images.

Primes:

If you are not familiar with the term “prime” as applied to lenses, it refers to a fixed focal length lens. Primes have no zoom range, and so newer photographers frequently overlook them. And in all fairness, modern zoom lenses are often very, very good. You will find still find prime lenses in almost every pro’s bag, though, because of a few reasons. First, the current largest aperture of any full frame zoom lens is f/2.8. Prime lenses are frequently f/2 or wider (Canon has a 50mm f/1.2L). This may not seem like a big deal, but take a look at this chart (courtesy of Ryan Hulse)

An aperture of f/2 lets in twice as much light as a lens with a maximum aperture of f/2.8, and four times as much as a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4. A lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.4? It can let in four times as much light as that f/2.8 zoom at its maximum aperture. This means two things: first, in very low light a prime lens becomes a very important tool because ISO can be kept lower and/0r a higher shutter speed can be achieved to stop action. Secondly, a large aperture prime has greater latitude for “melting” backgrounds and allowing for that rich, creamy bokeh look. I currently have a number of prime lenses in my kit, including the aforementioned Rokinon wide angle and:

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DN Contemporary – this compact wide aperture lens is for Sony’s APS-C mirrorless, and is one of my favorite general purpose lenses on that system.

Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM. This is my favorite lens at the 35mm focal length, though I do love the Zeiss Milvus 35mm f/1.4, too. It is optically superior, has great autofocus, and is beautifully built. I no longer carry a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens because of the 35L II. You can read my review of it here:

I also us the new Tamron SP 45mm f/1.8 Di VC USD prime lens. It has pro grade build and optical performance at a reasonable price, and also allows you to focus down more closely than any of its rivals. It produces gorgeous bokeh and is my new 50mm(ish) pick. You can see my review of it here.

Another of my favorite primes is one I’m privileged to own – the Zeiss Milvus 2/135mm. It is one of the most superb performers in the world, and, while manual focus only, a joy to use. My review of it is here.

I also own the Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN ART lens for Sony mirrorless. It is a nice compact little portrait and general purpose lens.

Macro:

A good macro lens is a great choice as a third (or even a first) lens. The best new macro lens do a little bit of everything, and nothing else really allows you to get close enough to really magnify the amazing tiny world that is out there. Some of the most amazing photos are produced by a good macro lens.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM Lens. This is one of my favorite lenses, as it features a great build quality, awesome IS system, but above all it has truly superb optics. It produces wonderfully creamy bokeh, is very sharp, and doubles as a great portrait/event/general purpose lens. It is a true 1:1 macro, and I actually use it handheld the majority of the time. There are just so many times where the more deliberate shooting with a tripod isn’t an option. The color rendering from this lens is particularly nice.

Everyone needs some decent reach at times. In this video I detail the telephoto lenses that I own and use:

I have a number of telephoto options for different purposes.

Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 VC G2 Zoom Lens: You can read my review here: Tamron’s second generation of this lens has produced a lens truly competitive in every way with first party lenses at a price that represents a strong value.

Although I no longer own it, I highly recommend the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens: You can read my review here: I really love this lens. It is fairly heavy, but is nicely compact and travels nicely. It is built like a tank, has great sharpness and color, and is very consistent throughout its focal length. This is one of Canon’s hidden gems, and rewards every one who owns it. I had a hard time parting with mine…

I also own the Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 telephoto lens for my a6500. It provides a light telephoto option when I don’t want to carry a bigger, heavier lens.

Accessories:

In this video I detail some of the little things that help me be successful as a photographer:

Purchasing your gear through B&H and these links helps fund this website and keeps the articles coming. Thank you for your support.

Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52014 in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!

Better sharpness, better bokeh, better focus accuracy. The Tamron is definitely the superior lens in pretty much every way. Look for a new Sigma to hit the market within the next year or so to try to undo that advantage.

They say it should work from their end. If you have another problem, just email Amplis and let them know the details of your order and what you are trying to do and they assured me they will process it for you.

Hi Dustin – I have just “discovered” you today through your 6D vs 5D3 comparison article which I found very interesting. As a part-time photographer the dual-card 5D3 was the only choice of bodies, but as an upgrade to my 50D for my second body I would now consider the 6D instead of saving up for a second 5D3. If there is one criticism that I would make reading through your articles, your descriptions and your videos is a slight bias towards all things Tamron at the expense of all things Sigma – many test of the 150-600 from both camps rate the Sigma higher but not you, the 50/1.4 from Sigma is considered by many as the 2nd best IQ 50mm ever made (after the Zeiss) and many more. Personally, I recently swapped my Canon 24-105 f/4 with the Sigma 24-104 f/4 Art lens and the improvement has been staggering. Keep up the good work and I have already subscribed to your YouTube channel. A new “fan” from Cyprus Alexis

Hello Dustin. New here; great blog! A question please: Tony Northup, a photographer on youtube too, states that full frame lenses actually perform less well than dedicated kit lenses on crop sensor cameras. So basically a L lens is wasted on a, say, 80D. What do you think? Canon EF-S lenses are unfortunatelly sparse and much lower quality. It’s too bad as the video autofocus of a 80D is soooo appealling. Now, may be that 1080p video does not require a L lense anyway, being just about a 1/6 a the width of the 80D sensor wide side? Thanks!